Distributed May 1997 by Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

Religious persecution is increasing against all faiths but in particular
against Christians especially in China and the Muslim world.

A radical regime in Sudan allied with Iran has used massacre, starvation,
slavery, and forced resettlement against the Christian minority.

In communist China, there is massive repression against tens of millions
of Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, in the unregistered "house
church" movement.

The advisory committee established by the administration to monitor religious
persecution has done nothing of substance in response to this increasing
pattern of abuse.

There is no one-time, quick-fix answer. As the Task Force works on addressing
these atrocities, we welcome your input.

LEGISLATIVE REMEDIES

Legislation prepared by Senator Specter and Representative Wolf will
be the starting point for the Task Force. There are some aspects that could
be problematic and I would like to work on alternative language.

SPECTER/WOLF: Provides for targeted economic sanctions.
PROBLEM: Success of economic sanctions has been mixed because they tend
to be too weak and waiveable by the president.

SPECTER/WOLF: Increases opportunity for persecuted religious communities
to be admitted in refugee status is or granted asylum status.
PROBLEM: The bill uses the plight of Soviet Jews during the Cold War as
a model. However, the emigration solution for 2 million Soviet Jews then
may not be the solution for 50 million Chinese Christians today.

SPECTER/WOLF: Five year extension of Lautenberg amendment.
PROBLEM: This may unnecessarily complicate our efforts. Claims of asylum
or refugee status based on religious persecution must be taken as seriously
as forms of persecution.

Other legislative remedies may include:

Withholding funds for a visit of President Jiang Zemin of China for an official
visit until the president certifies specified improvements have taken place
with respect to Christians.

Free standing legislation on Sudan (also in Specter/Wolf).

Establishment of "equal access" laws that would require U.S. diplomatic
and consular premises abroad to permit religious services. The U.S. mission
in Saudi Arabia no longer allows Christian services on the premises, although
they have set aside facilities for Islamic worship.

EXAMPLES OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
Sudan: Religious Persecution

In 1992, a nine-year old Christian boy from the Sudanese Dinka tribe
was sent by his mother to buy tomatoes at the local market. While on the
errand, the boy was stopped by the Muslim secret police and sent with other
boys to a children's "cultural cleansing camp" where they were
forcibly converted to Islam.

Since declaring Sudan an Islamic state in 1983, the government's attempt
to impose Shari'a (traditional Islamic law) has resulted in the death of
more than 1.3 million people and the displacement of more than 3 million
others, mostly Christian and non-Muslims.

In February 1996, Gaspar Biro (United Nation's Special Rapporteur on
Sudan) reported "an alarming increase" in the number of cases
of "slavery, servitude, slave trade and forced labor" in Sudan.
With growing frequency, Christian villages are raided, men are exterminated,
children forced into military training and women sold into slavery or relocated
to concentration camps.

The Baltimore Sun reported, beginning on June 16, 1996, that two of
its reporters went to Sudan and bought slaves for five hundred dollars each.

Under the Islamic Shari'a, conversion to Christianity is illegal. In
August 1995, five Nuban women were sentenced to death for apostasy or abandoning
Islam. In late 1995, ten persons were arrested for converting to Christianity.

China: Religious Persecution

Huang Fangxin is a 31 year old convicted criminal serving out a three
year sentence in the laogai - Chinas infamous reform-through-labor camp.
This criminal was found guilty of being the "ringleader of an illegal
religous organization" that successfully witnessed Christianity to
many Chinese university students. His "reeducation through labor"
was for "disturbing the social order and normal religious life"
and for "influencing the stability and unity of village life."

Peter Yongze Xu, minister of a four million member "house church,"
has been in hiding since 1991 after having been arrested while attending
a Billy Graham crusade in China.

In March 1996, seventeen church members were arrested for attending
an unlicenced church meetirg in western Xingiang province, a predominantly
Muslim region. All but five women were eleased when responsibility was accepted
for the illegal gathering. After admitting thel guilt, police severely beat
the women, poured scalding water on them and sent them to prison.

The Far Eastern Economic Review reported on June 6, 1996, that "police
has destroyed at least fifteen thousand unregistered temples, churches and
tombs" between February and June 1996 in the Zhejiang province alone.